Needle-loom.



W. G. STEWART.

NEEDLE LOOM.

. AP I IIIjICATION FILED MAR 2 I915 Patented D60. 14

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NEEDLE LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1915.

1,164,137. Patented Dec.14,1915.

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0 1E r111 0 g I o i W. G. STEWART. NEEDYLE LOOM.

W. G. STEWART.

NEEDLE LOOM.

I APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1915 1,16%,1 37. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

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madam, GI Stewart W. G. STEWART.

NEEDLE LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, m5.

1 ,1 64,1 3?, Patented Bea-14, 1915.

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WILLIAM G. STEWART, 0F ELKINS PARK, PENNSYLVANIA.

NEEDLE-100M.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14., 1915.

Application filed March 2, 1915. Serial No. 11,477.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. STEWART, a citizen of the United' States, residing at Elkins Park, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Needle-Looms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to-the class of looms for-weaving narrow cloth or fabrics commonly called tape and braid, wherein the weft threads are projected through the warp sheds by a weft-needle and wherein another device or devices cooperate with the ,weft-needle to prevent. it from withand for the reason that it has been difficult, if not impossible, to weave 'a strip of fabric of uniform texture from edge to edge; and for the reason that it has been diflicult to'bind in the weft threads in the desired manner in which the weft threads shall lie straight across the warp threads, at right angles thereto.

The object of my invention is to overcome these and other objections; and I accomplish my object by the provision of a loom of novel, simple and eflicient construction wherein 1 construct and operate the weft needle in such manner that it operates both as a means to project the weft threads through the warp sheds and also as a means to beat up or move the successive picks of Weft threads into position at the fell of the cloth, thereby dispensing with the employment of a lay and the many objections incident thereto; and I accomplish my object further, by the provision of a novel mech anism, firstly, wherein a fabric of uniform texture from edge to edge may be Woven, -on the breast beam 8.

secondly, wherein a plurality of strips of fabric may be woven on a single loom with less space between adjacent strips than heretofore, thirdly, wherein the devices which cooperate with the weft needle to bind the weft threads at one edge of the fabric are simplified and improved, fourthly, wherein, less attention on the part of the operator will be required than heretofore, fifthly, wherein less power will be required and higher speed will be attained than heretofore, and, sixthly, wherein many novel and advantageous results are produced.

My invented loom consists of the elements and the combinations of them hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention: Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a loom embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof, on line 22 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional details, on lines 33 and 41 of Fig. 1, respectively, showing one of the weft needles and adjuncts. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail, on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing one of the bearings for the needle bars or carriers. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views relatively to each other and to the threads during the weaving operation. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view showing by a dot-and-dash line the path of the weft-needle relatively to the fabric being woven.

Referring to the drawings, the loom frame comprises the end standards 6 connected by the bars 7 and the breast beam 8. The warp threads 9 are drawn from a roller 10 to and over a roller 11, thence to and through the eyes of heddles 12 and thence through or between suitable reeds 13 to the fell of the cloth or fabric being woven, which is drawn over a bar 14 and down under the breast beam 8 to the take-up roller 15. The roller 10 is journaled in suitable bearings on the standards 6, and the roller 11 is journaled in brackets 16 on the standards 6. The heddles 12 are carried in suitable heddle frames 17 which are raised and lowered in the usual well known manner, during the weaving operation, by the usual well known mechanism, which it is not deemed necessary to illustrate or describe herein. The reeds 13 serve to guide the warp threads in proper lateral relation to each other and they are carried in a frame 18 which is supported by brackets 19 The bar 14, over which the finished fabric passes, is supported by suitable blocks, 20 on the breast beam 8. The take-up roller 15 is mounted to turn in bearings on the standards 6 and it is actuated in the usual manner and by the ,usual well known devices to take up the finished fabric as rapidly as it is produced, during the weaving. operation.

, The loom herein illustrated, is constructed toweave a plurality of strips of fabric, side p by side, as clearly shown in Fig. 1; and

threads into the fabric, as will be hereinor each strip of fabric I employ a weft-- needle 21 and a knitting needle 22 which co'ciperate with each other to weave the weft parallel to the breast beam 8, so that the" plurality. of weft nee'dies' 21 will be bodily moved when the bar 24 is moved. The arm 23 of each weft-needle 21 projects from the bar 24 in the direction of the warp threads laterally adjacent to one strip of fabric being woven, each needleprojecting from its threads 9 to move each weft-needle 21 into and from the adjacent shed of warp threads. The bar 24 is not only moved longitudinally, as just described, but it is also moved transversely or in the direction of the warp threads 9 to move each weft-needle 21 toward and from the fell of the cloth or strip of fabricbeing woven, for a purpose hereinafter explained; and to effect this movement of the bar 24 I provide it with rollers 38 which engage cams 39 on a shaft turning in bearings 41 on the breast beam 8. The rollers 38 are held against the cams 39 by springs'42 each of which has one end secured to the bar 24 and the other end secured to the breast beam 8; and the shaft 40 moved transversely or in the direction of, the warp threads to reciprocate the knitting arm 23 in a. direction substantially parallel needles 22 longitudinally, and for this purto the bar 24 and spaced therefrom, so that pose -,proyide' the bar 25 with rollers the free end of theweft-needle 2l may be%whieherfgage cams 46 on' the shaft 40 and moved into and from the warp shed from .which are held against thecams 46 by one side thereof when the bar 24 ismoved.

Each knitting needle 22 projects from and I is secured to a common bar or carrier 25' which extends parallel to the bar 24, so that the plurality of knitting needles 22 will be bodily moved when the bar 25 is moved, each knitting needle 22 projecting from the bar 25 in the direction oflthe warp threads 9 and laterally adjacent to one side of a strip of fabric being woven, to coiiperate with the weft-needle 21 adjacent to the opposite side of the same strip, during the weaving operation, hereinafter explained.

The carriers or bars 24 and 25 are slidwhich turns in'bearings on'the standards 6.

The shaft 33 is provided with a gear wheel 34 in mesh with a gear wheel 35 on the driv ing shaft 36 of the loom, whereby, the shaft 29 and its cam 28 will be rotated during the operation of the loom. The bar 24 is held against the cam 28 by a spring 37 one end of which isattached tothe bar 24 and the other end of which is attached to the breast beam 8. It will thus be ,seen that when the shaft 29 is rotated, the bar 24 will be reciprocated or moved back and forth,

byfthe cam 28 and spring 37, longitudinally or; in a direction transversely to the Warp springs 47 each of which has one end secured to the bar 25 and the other end secured to the breast beam 8. The weft threads of each strip of fabric being woven are formed of a continuous thread 48 which. is drawn from a spool or bobbin 49 supported by abracket 50 which projects from a bar 51 extending between the end standards 6. Each thread 48 passes from its spool 49 to and through a pair of tension disks 52 on a bracket 53 secured on and has its free end portion bent or extended toward the fell of the cloth 56, as shown in 4 Fig. 9, for purposes hereinafter explained;.

the thread extending from the weft-needle eve 55 to the fabric, during the weaving operation.

The knitting needles 22 I employ are, preferably, beard needles, andthese needles are so operated with relation to the weft-needles 21 that upon the reverse stroke of the beard needles, the beards thereof will engage the weft-needles and be closed thereby to cause the shedding of loops of thread from the knitting needles 22, and I further insurethis shedding of the loops by extending each knitting needles 22 through a notch 58 in the bar 14, so that the bar 14 willv engage a loop extending around a needle 22 and 1 shed the loop as the needle 22 is drawn back through the notch 58.

The operation of the loom is as follows: The heddle frames 17 are raised and lowered after each pick of the loom to cross the warp threads 9, in the usual'manner; and the cloth or finished fabric 59 is wound upon the take-up roller 15' as rapidly as it 1s produced, in the usual' manner. -At each pick of the loom the bar 24 carrying the weftneedles 21 is moved'in the direction of the warp threads 9 and also transversely thereto, and the bar 25 and knitting needles 22 are moved in the direction of the warp threads, as previously explained. During this operation, a pair of weft threads 60 is inserted into the warp shed of each strip of fabric and a loop formed by the pair is drawn through a loop 62 formed by thelast precedingpair of weft threads 63 which were inserted in the warp shed during the last preceding pick of the loom, as shown,in Figs. 7 and 8, and thus the successive pairs of weft threads are bound into the fabric of each strip 'at the edge thereof opposite to the side of the strip from which they are inserted, thereby forming a selvage and preventing the reverse movements of the weftneedles 21 from withdrawing the weft threads from the warp sheds.

As previously stated the weft-needles '21 are all bodily operated by the bar 24, and the knitting needles 22 are all bodily operated by the bar 25; and, therefore, I shall describe only the operation of one weftneedle and one knitting needle with relation to each other and to the threads of one strip of fabric. Starting with the needles in the position shown in Fig. 6, in which the weftneedle 21 is about to enter the warp shed after the crossing of the warp threads following the preceding 'pick, the weft needle 21 is advanced, directly through the'warp shed, through the portion 64 of the path 65, shown in Fig. 9, to the position shown in Fig. 7. During this movement of the weft-needle 21, thread is drawn from the overhanging spool 49 through the tension -device 52 and through the weft-needle-eye 55 and the two weft threads are inserted into the warp shed, as shown in Fig. 7 and during this movement of the weft-needle 21,

the knitting needle 22 moves forward or in the direction of the arrow in Fig- 6, to the position shown in Fig. 7. The needles 21 and 22 now start their reverse movements in the direction of ,the arrows in Fig. 7; a'nd,

during such reverse movements, the beard 66 of the knitting needle 22 passes between .the body of theweft-needle and, the thread 60 extending therefrom to the opposite side of the fabric and takes a loop 67 from the thread 60 and draws the loop 66 back through the previously formed loop 62, as shown in Fig. 8, the beard 66 of the needle 22, during its movement, engaging the bottom of the weft needle 21 and being closed thereby and thus caused to enter the previously formed loop 62 which is shedded from the needle 22 as it recedes. This shedding of the loop 62 is insured by the plate 14: as the needle 22 recedes through the notch 58 in the plate, the notch 58 being only large enough to receive the needle 22 and the loop of thread engaged by the hooked end thereof. Just after the weft needle 21 reaches the positionshown in. Fig. 7 it moves toward the fell of the cloth or fabric and continues its reverse movement through the portion 68 of the path shown in' Fig. 9, thereby moving the threads 60 back into proper position at the fell of the cloth as the weft needle 21 moves back to the position shown in Fig. 6 for a succeeding operation or another pick, after the crossing of the warp threads 9 following the insertion of the weft threads 60. Thus the weaving of the fabric continues by successive operations, the. cams 28, 39 and 46 being formed and operated to effect the movements of the needles 21 and 22 hereinbefore described. The chain of loops formed by the knitting needle 22 form a selvage at one edge of the fabric, and a selvage is formed at the opposite edge of the fabric by the loops which connect the adjacent warp sheds, a's'clearly shown in Flgs. 6, 7 and 8. a

As previously explained, each weft-needle 21 is arranged on an incline, as shown 1n Fig. 4. The purpose of this is to permit the supported end of one weft-needle 21 to move over and above the next adjacent strip of fabric or its warp shed, thus reducing the space between adjacent strips of fabric to a minimum and enabling me to produce a large number of strips of fabric on a comparatively small loom.

ll claim:

1. In a needle loom the combination of the frame thereof, means to support and actuate the warp threads, a weft-needle,

means to supportthe weft-needle and to project it through the warp shed and to move it to and from the fell of the cloth, said weft needle acting to project the weft threads through the Warp shed and thereafter acting to move the weft threads into position at thefell of the cloth, and means coiiperating with the weft-needle to form a selvage. I

2. In a needle loom the combination of the frame thereof, means to support and actuate the warp threads, a weft-needle, means to support the weft-needle and to project it through the warp shed and to move it to and from the fell ofthe cloth, said weft needle acting to project the weft threads through the warp shed and thereafter acting to move the weft threads into position at the fell of the cloth, a knitting needle, and means to support the knitting needle and to actuate it in conjunction with the weftneedle to form a chain of stitches.

3. In a needle loom the combination of the frame thereof, means to support and actuate the Warp threads, and means to insert weft threads into final position in the warp shed, the last named means including an element movable into and from the warp shed from one side thereof and means to move said element to and from the fellof the cloth, said element acting to move the weft threads into position at the fell of the cloth after being inserted into the warp v shed.

4. In a needle loom the combination of the frame thereof, means to support and actuate the warp threads, a weft-needle, means to support and actuate the weft-needle, and,

means cooperating with the weft needle to form a selvage, the last named means including a beard knitting needle, and said weft needle operating to close the beard of the knitting needle during the operation thereof.

5. In a needle loom the combination of the frame thereof, means to support and actuate the warp threads, a weft needle, means to support the weft-needle and to project it into and withdraw it from the warp shed and to move it toward and from the fell of extends entirely through the shed and serving to lay the Weft against the fell of the cloth.- a

6. In a needle loom, the combination of the frame thereof, means to support and actuate the warp threads, a weft needle, means to support the 'weft-needle and to project it into and withdraw it from the Warp shed and to move it toward and from the fell of the cloth, said needle moving substantially parallel to the fell of the cloth while being Withdrawn from the shed and serving to lay the weft against the fell of the cloth.

7. In a needle loom, the combination of the frame thereof, means to support and actuate the warp threads, a weft needle, means to support the weft-needle and to projectit into and withdraw it from the Warp shed and to move it toward and from the fell of the cloth, said needle having its free end extending from the body thereof toward the fell of the cloth and moving substantially parallel to the fell of the cloth while being withdrawn from the shed and serving to lay the weft against the fell of the cloth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, WILLIAM G. STEWART. Witnesses:

A. V. Gnoorn, S. I. HARPER. 

